months ago when switzerland refused to let north korea buy ski lifts. kim likes his sports, a huge water park opened in october in the capital. thanks for watching "around the world." happy new year. happy new year. "cnn newsroom" starts right now. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com right now, obamacare is moving closer to its enrollment goal. we'll talk about what some brand new numbers mean for the program and what it means for the president. right now, robots replacing tsa agents. eyeball scans instead of boarding passes. could it be the future of airport security? also right now, your iphone at risk? a new report says the nsa may have accessed almost everything on the device including your voice mail, e-mail and perhaps even your location.

hello, i'm jim accost ta in washington. wolf blitzer is off today. the obama administration confirms more than 2 million people have now enrolled in health care coverage under obamacare. that includes people who have signed up through the federal marketplace and the state-run exchanges. coverage begins tomorrow for people who enrolled by the december deadline. march 31st marks the deadline for individuals to purchase insurance or face a penalty. the surge in enrollment follows a disastrous rollout of the website in october. meanwhile, we're knocking on 2014's door. with the new year comes new technology. you might see it at an airport near you. we're talking about robots that could end up replacing humans. tsa agents who check your boarding pass. of course, that begs the question, who is better at flagging at risk or risky passengers? such as terrorists? potential terrorists, man or machine? some airports are already experimenting with robots and our brian todd joins us now.

this is obviously a story that pops out to any traveler crisscrossing the country over these days, over he's holidays. we're used to seeing the stuff in the movies an on tv. how real is this going to be? >> well, jim, this is a trend that experts say is coming to major airports like dulles here in washington and elsewhere. it's already been used in limited fashion in testing in europe and in asia and elsewhere. it's essentially the process of biometrics, smart security some people call it. the process of machines scanning your face, scanning your iris, your fingerprints to identify you to at least get you through the boarding process. now, some of that has already been tested in europe. according to the "wall street journal," london's gatwick airport processed 3,000 passengers this year through the boarding gate of british airways using just their irises. that eliminated the need for boarding passes and identification. they already can identify some of those passengers. this is again, being used in

limited fashion overseas in europe and in the testing them in other plays. but experts believe this is kind of the wave of the future. then they'll go from eliminating boarding passes and getting you streamlined at the gates to possibly doing that for security screening. but that could be a little bit further down the road. as you mentioned, it does kind of prompt this debate at least in the united states and in europe and elsewhere over what is better at catching potential toifrts. could a machine do it with some kind of faisal recognition or is it better to have a person do that. there's some debate as to whether this might eliminate the job of a tsa screener. some experts believe if they can get you knew the initial security check point where they look at your id and boarding pass only by using a scanner to scan your face that, might free a tsa agent or other screener to actually look at behavioral patterns, look and see if someone is behaving strangely and focus on that. some experts believe it wasn't

necessarily eliminate the screener completely but it might just streamline the process. >> what will this mean for jobs? i mean, are we going to see tsa agents losing their jobs, security officers losing their jobs over this, brian? >> it doesn't appear they'll lose their jobs anytime soon. again, they're just testing a lot of these biometrics programs in europe and elsewhere and they've got to really streamline it, but it could conceivably lpt some jobs well into the future but again, it might also just change the nature of the tsa screener. again, freeing them up to look at behavioral recognition and things like that. look at see if someone is acting nervous, acting maybe sweating or something like that, looking at other people differently or trying to communicate with others in a strange way. that's what it frees the screener up for. so it may just change the nature of the airport screener's job. >> it's a brave new world. brian todd at dulles airport. we'll have to see how this shakes out.

we appreciate it. we want to turn back to the brand new obamacare enrollment numbers. they may not be that new. we heard yesterday that they talked about 1.1 million people signing up through the federal health care exchange. it seems like we're starting to see some of the state-based numbers rolling in, as well and the department of health and human services combining that. let's bring in michael sheer, a white house don't for the "new york times" and with us later on this hour to talk about the obama agenda for the next year. talk about enrollment numbers. hhs put out this the advisory they're la having a conference call with the secretary in about an hour or so from now. there is this number in there, 2 million people have signed up for obamacare. they talked about the 1.1 million through the federal exchange. it appears now that we're starting to see that it may it be something around 900,000 on those state-based exchanges. what do you make of those numbers and what does it mean for the administration in achieving goals of getting people signed up? >> i think they're trying to reap for the best number they

can possibly put out there. right? we all know they've had a sort of goal of reaching 7 million people by the end of march. we all know how badly the federal marketplace performed. they're trying to put everything together and say look, between the people that signed onto the federal website in the 36 states and then the other 14 states where they had state-based marketplaces, they've put them all together and said 2 million people had insurance, will have insurance starting tomorrow that they didn't have before. >> it's interesting, michael, because as you and i both know from sitting in the briefing room, we were sort of hammering the white house. we want these enrollment numbers in those early months when things weren't going so well and now it seems on a weekly basis we're seeing new numbers sort of trickle out of the administration trying to give them selves a better headline to talk about. one thing that was interesting to note, hs also put out in the last several minutes a blogging from kathleen an bealious noting

come january 1st, people who go see the doctor or get prescriptions filled and have signed up for insurance, they better have the paperwork ready. they seem to be bracing for potentially problems. >> the thing that was interesting in the blog post, you saw them mention actually real people. i think they said some woman named molly who is going to have insurance for the first time. they want the good news stories out there and what they want to minimize to the extent possible is people getting to their doctor, getting to the pharmacy and the hospital and somehow having problems, not having the insurance they expected to have. so if they have the number for their insurance companies, they'll be less likely to have those kinds of stories that you and i know republicans are going to seize on. >> you mentioned the goal of 7 million people by the end of march that was put out. i guess originally it was an estimate from the congressional budget office. the white house sort of embraced it. but 2 million on the path to 7

million, they're not quite halfway there, but it's not bad. >> i think that's true. however, the white house also always estimated and assumed that there would be a drop-off after january that there would be a big surge. even before any of the problems on the website, there would be a big surge before tomorrow. and that there would be some kind of drop-off before you had another surge in march. so whether they can keep up the pace of, say, a million enrollees every month, if they can they'll be close to 7 million, if they don't. they'll be lower. the key is the mix of people. do they have enough healthy people to offset the unhealthy people in whatever the final number is. >> we'll talk more about this later this hour. michael shear. let's turn to the markets. the dow has surged more than 25% since the beginning of 2013. you probably know that by checking your 401(k) statements.

the dow hasn't done this well since clinton was in the white house. alison kosik joins me from the stork stock exchange. almost no one predicted the kind of boom we saw in stocks this year. is this going to last? >> that's a really good question. you think about if we saw this coming a year ago today, we were about to fall off the fiscal cliff. we probably didn't expect this to happen. there's a champagnemaker ringing the closing bell here today. traders certainly have good reason to pop the cork. it's the last full trading day of 2013. i'll tell you what, what a year it's been on wall street. if you're invested in the market, you've probably made a lot more money than if you're just let's say parking it in your savings account. you look at the dow up 26% for the year, the nasdaq up 38%. the s&p 500 which is what most of our retirement and mutual funds track is up 29%. remember, in a typical year, you're looking at a gain closer to 8% on the s&p 500.

that double digit return is stunning. now the main driver for the markets has been the fed stimulus. fed's been pumping billions per month into the economy all year. we learned a couple of weeks ago it's going to start pulling back on that. it hasn't spooked the market at all. the plan pulled back in stimulus shows the fed's got confidence that the economy can start to tand on its own and that is giving investors confidence too, reason we could be looking at the dow's 52nd record close of the year today. jim? >> all right. no question about it. they probably are due some exam passenger on wall street. not out of the question this time of year. alison kosik, thank you very much. we're about 11 hours away from the start of 2014 here in the u.s. the new year has already arrived in some parts of the world. last hour, bangkok, thailand ushered in 2014. fireworks exploded alongside a giant ferris wheel. it's a beautiful sight there. two hours ago, fireworks lit up

the skies over hong kong. tens of thousands of people were on hand for the celebration along victoria harbor and over in australia, sydney was the first march city to welcome 2014. the celebration is one of the largest. more than 1.5 million people were expected to turn out for the fireworks spectacular along the iconic sydney harbor. in new york, they're putting the finishes touches on preparations for the big celebration in times square. security of course, will be tight and the weather will be cold. margaret connly joins us now from times square. margaret, set the scene for us. i assume, i've done this before. i've been down there for new year's eve. i can see the people gathering behind you. it's a sight to behold. >> reporter: jim, they've tested the confetti and that crystal ball and actually at the top of the flagpole now, you can see the sign for 2014. and it is very cold, as you've known from covering it from down here. you can see the crowd next door

right here. they're all bundled up. they're expecting about a million people to be down here in times square today. security is extremely tight. they're going to start closing down some of the streets as early as 3:00, depending on how many people are down here. you can see the nypd in action right here where the camera's panning. they're scanning people as they're entering into times square. they're scanning people for big packages and big backpacks. do not bring the big backpacks and also cholesterol is not allowed. at 6:00, the crystal ball will be lit and that's when all the festivities begin. they're going to start off with a chinese cultural program and live performances by blondie, melissa etheridge and miley cyrus. also, sonia so the mayor is the first u.s. supreme court justice to push that button to have the ball drop. she's returning to her hometown in new york to join in the festivities. jim? >> margaret, thank you very much

for that. the new year's tradition continues right here on cnn. kathy griffin joins anderson cooper on the platform in times square. we all know just about anything can happen when those twos are together on new year's eve. it starts tonight at 9:00 eastern. don't miss it. first it was internet phone records and bugging laptops. now reports say the nnsa is developing software that may be able to track everything you do, say or watch on your iphone. we'll have the details next.

people po live in eastern north dakota still don't know if it's safe to go about their daily lives in new year's eve. two trains crashed and burned yesterday. one hauling crude oil. officials are testing the air to see if the thick black smoke made it dangerous to be outside. nobody was hurt in the crash but firefighters had to let the oil fire burn itself out. a lot of people left their homes when officials issued an evacuation order. first it was phone records, and laptops. now in a report says the nsa may be developing software that can track everything you do, say, or watch on your iphone. it seems like we're in a state where fiction becomes reality. >> in your phone was a gps sat

tracker. >> i don't know what that means. >> like a lo jack only two generations better than what's police have. >> what does that mean. >> you speak english. >> obviously not that well. it means the nsa can read the time off your [ bleep ] wristwatch. >> that was gene hackman portray agex-nsa agent. that film came out in 199 , way, way back in 199 . evan perez, justice reporter is with me now. evan, let's talk about this because you see the headline, it's like oh, my gosh. they're looking at my iphone. tell us exactly what we're talking about here. >> the nsa has developed software called dropout jeep. and it apparently this magazine german magazine called "der spiegel" published slides apparently came from edward snowden, the former nsa contractor leaking documents. and they described this program whereby the nsa can insert or can load up software on to

iphones in order to access voice mails, to access is pretty much everything inside it, your camera phone, even activate the microphone and the phone. so these slides refer to an older version of the iphone, the newer one we don't know whether or not the nsa has the same capability, but it is pretty intriguing stuff to be able to take control of your entire device without even holding on to it. >> but two things, one is we shouldn't be surprised they have this capability. >> right. right. i mean, by this point, given the fact that these disclosures have been going on for a few months, this seems every week there comes another disclosure about the capabilities, there's very little surprise anymore. it is pretty interesting. the iphone is a very popular device. it's not just the iphone. >> here's mine right here. >> right, exactly. pretty much everything on here is potentially vulnerable. not only to the nsa but to

hackers from anywhere. it could apply to your android phone. it could apply to your blackberry. >> sure. >> even anything that has a camera, anything that has microphone, even your car, for instance. that gives you the ability to make phone calls or to be able to access your navigation, all of that is susceptible to hacking. >> but should americans who are driving around, you know, or who are out and about today and hear the story, should they think okay, wait a minute, my iphone is being hacked by the nsa? are they looking at my e-mails and what i'm up to? >> no, this is not something that is done for -- most people don't have anything to worry about. most of the nsa's programs are targeted at preventing terrorism. most of it is outside the country. to be able to do anything inside the country or against americans they would have to get court orders. so there's no allegation this is being abuses. it is very intriguing power the nsa does have. it's something they're always

working to try to be able to figure out how to get access to technology. >> and what are apple and the nsa saying about this? i'm sure they have something to say? >> the nsa is not commenting. apple released a statement this morning saying apple has never worked with the nsa to create a backdoor into any of our products, including the iphone. initially we've been unaware of this alleged nsa program targeting our products. we care deeply about our customers privacy and security, jim. >> and it's interesting, evan, because i was at the white house the other day when the hi-tech firms were coming through, the ceos. a lot of folks were saying, most of them privately we're just as concerned about this as our customers. because a lot of people out there are hearing about these disclosures and saying wait a minute, maybe we can't do much about the nsa but we can direct our anger at these hi-tech companies. >> you know, the billions of dollars are the an stake here. you're talking about companies that depend on china, depend on the markets in europe and

elsewhere for a lot of their business. and they're very concerned that people will stop buying their products and perhaps go to a competitor from germany or from china or japan because they fear being surveilled by the nsa or the u.s. government. there's a big economic incentive for the white house and the u.s. government to clarify what it's doing. president obama says he's planning to do that next month to try to calm some of this because right now, everybody's afraid the nsa is looking at every single thing you're doing. >>ing everybody is talking about this. it is on the administration, it is on these companies to make sure people are at easy about this. and as you said, it is for the protection of the american people, as well. that is at least that's what the nsa is saying and thanks very much, evan perez. appreciate that reporting. thank you from of colorado just hours away from being the first state where recreational marijuana goes on sale legally for adults. and police are concerned about

colorado's youngsters. that is next.

in a few hours, recreational

marijuana goes on sale in colorado. anyone over the age of 21 will be allowed to buy pot in specialized shops and smoke marijuana on private property only in colorado where the state will watch over the marijuana business from seed to sale as they put it. it's not the adult users that have some people concerned. anna cabrera reports the state has a pot problem in schools. >> reporter: how many people around your age do you know who have smoked marijuana? >> almost had -- i want to say like nine out of ten students. >> really? >> it's that prevalent. >> yeah, definitely. >> colorado schools have a pot problem. >> where do people get it. >> i don't know exactly, but just like i know that kids smoke it a lot. >> now that it's legal, everybody's just getting it. >> while still illegal for anyone under the age of 21, younger people are finding ways to get their hands on marijuana. and we found they don'tshite away from talking about it. >> i see people selling it and i

think it's easy for people to get now. >> reporter: even for somebody who's underage. >> yeah. >> i know lots of people. most of my friends use it. >> reporter: why do they want to use it? >> i feel like that it's not typically classified as like a harmful drug like as meth or whatever. >> do you know of anybody who comes to school high or gets high during lunch break, for example? >> yeah, definitely. >> reporter: not that uncommon? >> it's not uncommon at all. there's a bunch of people that come to the school high. >> while some teens seem to think using maine is okay, schools are trying to send a message it's not. pot is now the number one reason students can kicked out of colorado schools. pot proving to be a bigger problem than alcohol, disobedience or weapons violations. the message we'd like to get out from the school safety resource center is we really need parents to be talking to their children

about the risks. >> that's where all my problems started with weed i guess. >> 1-year-old chris collins no, sir about the risks all too well. he says he began experimenting with marijuana when he was just 10 years old. by age 14, he was hooked. >> what did you get out of it? >> bad grades and trouble pretty much. >> kicked out of school. he's been in and out of jail ten times in the past four years. >> when i was 14, that was the first time i got my first drug paraphernalia ticket and i have like six drug paraphernalia tickets, five possession. it like slowly got worse. >> he warns marijuana isn't as harmless as some may think. >> did you ever think you were going to become addicted to it? did you really realize what was happening? >> like i didn't think it was possible to like become addicted to marijuana i guess. >> the evidence is very clear it's addictive. >> adolescent and addiction special dr. paula riggs says one

out of six kids who tries it as a teenager will become addicted. compared to the $1960, the marijuana told today has a higher concentration of a chemical that impacts memory and learning, reaction time and learning skills. riggs says a developing brain is most vulnerable. >> daily or near daily use can be associated with six to eight-point reduction in adult iq. looks like you don't get that back. >> collins has a lot in life he wants to get back. now drug free for eight months, he's focusing on small goals. >> to graduate, get my license back. >> and he hopes sharing his story will help prevent others from going down the wrong path by using pot. anna cabrera, cnn, denver. enrollment in obamacare car hits another milestone. more than 2 million people according to administration have signed up for coverage. but will that be enough to help president obama get this program and his presidency back on

track? what the president can expecting in 2014. to help secure retirements and protect financial futures. to help communities recover and rebuild. for companies going from garage to global. on the ground, in the air, even into space. we repaid every dollar america lent us. and gave america back a profit. we're here to keep our promises. to help you realize a better tomorrow. from the families of aig, happy holidays.

well, we don't know what his new years's resolutions are, but president obama is probably hoping 2014 is a better year than 2013. he played golf yesterday during

his holiday vacation in hawaii. one of the few i thinks we've seen of him while on vacation. politically he's been in the rough. his approval ratings took a big hit after all the problems with the obamacare website. ron brownstein and michael sheer, white house correspondent for "the new york times." the president is not getting a mulligan on obamacare because it's such an important program for a lot of americans out there. we saw they put this new number out there, 2 million americans or more than 2 million americans have signed up through federal or state-based exchanges. we were talking earlier about this. this may not be an entirely new number. there seems to be new numbers almost on a weekly basis. but it is kind of a milestone for this administration to wrap up the year. it's not looking at grimace it was back in october. >> that's right. and i think any shred of evidence that they can seize on to counter the kind of what we expect i think will be a continuing republican narrative

of problems and things that are negative about it, they're going to seize on it. >> what do you think, ron? do you think that -- are the new enrollment numbers that are coming out enough to sort of put this issue to the side for this president in the coming months. >> look, i think the short-term political problems are going to continue through the 2014 election. i don't think the enrollment can make them go away. i don't think the short-term problems are dispositive of what happens to the program. the president has three more years in office to entrench this program enough that it can survive no matter what happens in 2016. it becomes implausible for republicans to repeal it. not only the national numbers which are somewhat diminished by the fact that rufly half the states are not actively participating in this, when you look at states like california and new york and compare them to texas and florida where virtually nothing is happening, they're making a lot of progress in the blue states. that is the key question. can they get this entrenched

enough it becomes hard to repeal in 2017. >> you can messenger a situation, we all are focused on march 31st and can they bring in 7 million, 6 million, 5 million people. over three years, by the time he leaves office, they could have 10 million people, they could have millions. >> counting medicaid, there are possibly at 6 million now. they could be over 20 million. can you take that away? >> the president's critics are already do saying that these new enrollment numbers do not match the number of people who have seen cancellations. although the administration has said it's more like 500,000 in terms of what they've been able to sort out, around 500,000. but my question is, if there are problems in the new year, people who thought they had enrolled but go to the doctor's office and find out they're not in the system, we could have a whole fresh crop of stories where there are new issues with this program. it is a big question for the coming year.

>> i this i that's right. if you look at the two political strategies, short term strategies leading up to the 2014 elections, that's basically where the dividing line is, the republicans are going to try to make sure the stories that are negative where people are having problems are told highlight the problems, they're probably not going to focus so much on repealing the whole thing but undermining its popularity so when they enter the 2014 elections you know, there's there's more of a political power to that issue. >> this it is such a big fast the multi faceted change, both story lines will be true. a lot of people's lives will be disrupted and a very large number of people who will obtain coverage who never had it before. both things will be true. on balance i think politically in 2014, if you look at the states that both sides care the most about, i would bet in places like arkansas and north carolina and alaska and south dakota, west virginia, louisiana the balance will be negative. you'll probably have a ma jorts on election day saying they oppose the health care law.

that is not the only question in terms of long-term impact of the program. >> could the program tip the balance of power in the senate? is it just too early to tell? >> yeah, i think it could contribute to it in 2014. democrats have a tough row in 2014. it the key states are these seven democratic senators who have bucked the trend toward more party line voting and holding seats in states that vote routinely republican. these are older white states at a time when older states are very down on the health care law. it is a tough battle for them. that isn't the only dimension. the president has his eyes on a longer horizon. >> what should we look for on the president's agenda outside of he obama wear? >> there are other issues. the president is going to make a big push on climate change. the epa is already pushing all sorts of regulations that are going become big issues before 2014. we know the president's going to

make a big push on this idea of income inequality. he's going to be making that case, as well. all of that is in the mix in 2014. >> the biggest thing in the next year for him are the things under his control. implementing the obama health care plan, implementing the greenhouse gas regulations, going forward and succeeding or not in negotiations with iran. the one exception is immigration reform which is really about an internal struggle within the republican party between the presidential party and the congressional party whether the house will get this off table by 2016, which most republican strategists want but most don't have a lot of interest in anyway. >> i think the biggest political party in 2014 outside of the white house, if hillary clinton decides or not decides to run in 2016. i this i that's going to really change the landscape for the next couple of years. >> i agree but i'm not sure how much that's going to play out in a huge way in 2014.

obviously, it gets bigner 2015. >> she feels she can wait till 2015. >> there will be movement. >> tea leaves. >> you have to lay the groundwork and there will be things we all talk about as sort of evidence of her intentions or not. and similarly with chris christie. i think the bigger story for those two will be in '15. >> for the republican side, 2014 could affect the dynamic more than the democratic side. here's the paradox. if you're chris christie, you have to make the argument the party has to change to deal with the fact it's lost the popular vote in five out of the last six elections. if they do well in 2014 which is possible given the states that are more republican leaning and older ander, they may be it less inclined to hear that message for 2016. their big problems for 2016 is competing with a younger

electorate. >> already made the gains in 2010. >> a good 2014 may be tougher for chris christie. >> they could end up learning the wrong lesson. >> that hasn't happened before. >> right. that's why we're here. >> michael shear, ron brownstein, happy new year. i will say it again. thanks, gentleman. one of the world's elite athletes lies in a coma today after a devastating ski accident. it's shining a safety spotlight on the winter sport and tips on how to keep you safe on the slopes. welcome back. how is everything? there's nothing like being your own boss! and my customers are really liking your flat rate shipping. fedex one rate. really makes my life easier. maybe a promotion is in order. good news. i got a new title. and a raise? management couldn't make that happen.

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the man regarded as one of the greatest formula i drivers in history remains in a coma today in france. michael shumacher had a second brain surgery overnight. and his doctors say he's showing, in their words, a slight improvement. the former formula i racing world champion fell while skiing in the alps and suffered severe head trauma. doctors say it's too early whether he will recover. he hit rocks under the snow while skiing hollanded on his head. michael shumacher's accident is bringing out safety experts warning us skiing can be a very dangerous sport. especially in the early part of the season. poppy harlow has more on that. >> reporter: hi there, jim.

it is ski season and special avalanche advisories have been issued for the holiday in colorado and wyoming. so some skiers out west may be spending a little more time at the lodge than on the slopes after a series of scares. trails are closed at this utah resort after an avalanche temporarily buried several skiers monday morning. >> it's nothing to play with. it's serious stuff and you know, it's -- >> do their best to control the environment but mother nature and you can't always predict what's going to happen. >> they were lucky to get out. near the wyoming is, idaho border two people died in the last we can when a skier and snowmobiler were buried in two separate avalanches. >> look at this unbelievable video captured as brothers edwin and david were off trail skiing in colorado. >> is that will an avalanche? that's edwin in an avalanche. >> davis rushed to his brother's

side. he was buried up to his head in snow after being caught in a sudden avalanche. edwin survived with only a leg injury. lucky that his brother was there to help. >> skiing within sight of a partner is always a good idea. making sure that others know where you're going. staying in control, having the proper equipment. >> avalanches often take place after fresh powder piles on top of frozenover snow. the sudden surge of snow can sometimes be triggered by the skier. this amazing video of a free skier in spain was meant to be part of a car commercial. when he got caught in an avalanche, he deploed an inflatable backpack that saved his life. accident turned into an ad for the company instead. >> the common equipment that you need to have with you, a beacon, a probe, a shovel, at a minimum, you should be prepared and

educate yourself, know before you go. >> and, of course, experts always say make sure you wear a helmet and in addition to that inflatable backpack that you just saw in the piece, that esa device call the an avalung that allows to you breathe under the snow for up to 30 minutes, giving rescuers time to find you and dig you out. there's also something good to have on hand. you want to always check with the local avalanche center if you're going to ski off trail. ask them first about the conditions. jim? >> poppy harlow in new york, thanks very much. horse drawn carriages are an iconic part of new york city. but if the new mayor has his way, they could become a thing of the past. can you believe that? i'll tell you about it coming up next. a subaru...

...are the hands that do good things for the whole community: the environment, seniors, kids, and animals. that's why we created the share the love event. by the end of this year, the total donated by subaru could reach 35 million dollars. you get a great deal on a new subaru. we'll donate 250 dollars to a choice of charities that benefit your community. it feels good to be a helping hand. if yand you're talking toevere rheuyour rheumatologistike me, about trying or adding a biologic. this is humira, adalimumab. this is humira working to help relieve my pain. this is humira helping me through the twists and turns. this is humira helping to protect my joints from further damage. doctors have been prescribing humira for over ten years.

humira works by targeting and helping to block a specific source of inflammation that contributes to ra symptoms. for many adults, humira is proven to help relieve pain and stop further joint damage. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal events, such as infections, lymphoma, or other types of cancer, have happened. blood, liver and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure have occurred. before starting humira , your doctor should test you for tb. ask your doctor if you live in or have been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. tell your doctor if you have had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have symptoms such as fever, fatigue, cough, or sores. you should not start humira if you have any kind of infection. ask your doctor if humira can work for you. this is humira at work. i've got a job to do today. i've got a job to do today.

have a good first day at work, mom! your donations to goodwill fund job-training programs right in your community. feels good to start fresh, right? sure does. narrator: and like that, you're a job creator. as tens of thousands of tourists pile into new york for tonight's new year's eve celebration, another new attraction in that city is under fire. the city's mayor lake effect bill deblasio, says the era of horse-drawn carriage rides in central park may be coming to an end. they are such an iconic part of the new york city experience. margaret connly looks at the fight to get them off the streets. >> horse drawn carriage rides an iconic way for visitors to take in central park. soon they be a thing of the

past. tomorrow new york mayor elect takes the raibs from the current mayor mike bloomberg and propses to pull the karngs off the streets. >> we are going to get rid of the horse carriages, period. it's over. >> the carriage rides have been offered since central park opened in 1858. they've been celebrated on film here in "barefoot in the park." >> we just got married and on tv including "sex and the city." >> and i wasn't going to question any of it, not even how he found a horse-drawn sleigh in the middle of manhattan. >> and they've been at the top of so many tourists must do list. >> that's part of new york city. >> it's one of the things you need to do. >> don't get rid of the horses. >> or we won't come back. >> how many horses have to die? >> but animal rights groups have long been calling for a ban on the rides citing accidents like these and they argue the animals are forced to live in conditions they describe as inhumane. >> no matter what they say, the

horses are not kept in a good condition. >> mayor lake effect deblasio says he's open to alternatives including replacing the carriages with antique style electric cars but carriage driver stephen malone says the move to get rid of the horses won't work and he and other the horses are the star. it's not the car, it's not the carriage, it's not me. he's the star. that's what people come for. you can't create that with an electric car. you'll never create it. kids can't pet fenders. they proposed law. we're about to head into a new year. where you may live may influence how you refer to the coming year. this is very interesting. take a look at this. according to a new cnn orc poll, yes, we polled on this. when referring to the new year out loud, 52% of americans say two thousand and fourteen.

46% say 2014. people in the south favored 2014. those in the midwest prefer it the other way. if you look at this poll, the trend over time is away from using 2000 and using 20. as the years go on, we're starting to change the way we speak, the way we talk about these new years coming out. so very interesting poll number there. a little glimpse of anderson and kathy griffin there. we'll see them later tonight. the countdown to the new year in the united states is underway. but they're already celebrating 2014's arrival in other parts of the world. we will show you all the spectacular fireworks. that is next. so you're telling me your mom has a mom cave? hi boys! i've made you campbell's chunky new england clam chowder. wow! this is incredible! i know. and now it has more clams! [ male announcer ] campbell's chunky soup. what?

[ male announcer ] it fills you up right. to help secure retirements and protect financial futures. to help communities recover and rebuild. for companies going from garage to global. on the ground, in the air, even into space. we repaid every dollar america lent us. and gave america back a profit. we're here to keep our promises. to help you realize a better tomorrow. from the families of aig, happy holidays.

it took a lot of juggling to keep it all together.k. for some low-income families, having broadband internet is a faraway dream. so we created internet essentials, america's largest low-cost internet adoption program. having the internet at home means she has to go no further than the kitchen table to do her homework. now, more than one million americans have been connected at home. it makes it so much better to do homework, when you're at home. welcome to what's next. comcastnbcuniversal.

here on the east coast, we're hours away from new year's celebrations, but around the world, the clock has already struck midnight. take a look. >> two, one -- ♪

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♪ ♪ ♪

♪ [ cheers and applause ] ♪ >> happy new year!

♪ >> three, two, one -- >> happy new year! ♪

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>> and happy new year, everybody. that's it for me. "newsroom" continues right now with martin savage. >> hello, everyone. i'm martin savage. thanks very much for joining me for these time hours of 2013. it is the holiday that everyone, no matter their creed or country, celebrates. we're talking about the magic of new year's, of course. while it has yet to hit the united states, in much of the world it is already 2014. it arrived in style. >> happy new year! >> celebrations in hong kong and taiwan. at